The Fly has been distilled from our much-praised Rio 2 sports glider. The Fly uses the same top-quality hardware and fittings as the Rio 2, but uses a new sail which has been designed to provide light, responsive handling.

This nimble handling makes the Fly perfect for new pilots venturing out onto club sites for the first time. With the glider responding instantly to your inputs, you will quickly develop the confidence to make effective use of lift on the hill, and to fly with other gliders

As well as making a great wing for any new pilot, the Fly is particularly well suited for a paraglider pilot who may be interested in learning to hangglide (possibly inspired by the performance of the latest rigid wings!)

Tuned for the UK

The Fly has been designed with a higher aspect ratio than many other single-surface wings, which gives it significantly lighter pitch control. This is a huge benefit when ground handling, especially in the UK where we tend to fly in stronger winds for reliable ridge-soaring

The lighter pitch also makes it easier to pull on speed for a safe landing approach.

Built with new pilots in mind

When choosing their glider, pilots new to the sport are often concerned that they will 'grow out of' their first glider too quickly and are sometimes tempted to buy a higher performance wing too soon.

The Fly has a much larger scope for pilot progression than many other gliders, with two very effective methods for improving the glider’s performance as the pilot gains confidence and experience.

Variable Geometry

The Fly can be fitted with a Variable Geometry ('VG') system as an optional but recommended extra. The VG, as fitted to all higher performance gliders, acts to tighten the sail during flight producing a flatter glide path and reduced sink rate at the expense of handling response. Having a VG allows you to tune the handling/performance balance of your glider to suit the conditions, expanding the glider's flight envelope and helping you make the most of your hardware. It also allows you to get comfortable with the VG's use for when you decide to upgrade.

Upgradeable

The Fly's unique design means that, should the pilot want more performance, the glider can easily be upgraded to a full Rio 2. Instead of buying a whole new glider, a new sail and rigging can be fitted to your airframe (which is designed to last over a thousand flying hours with good care) to give it a new lease of life. This upgrade will save you a substantial amount of time and of course money over the cost of a new glider

Supine Setup

The supine harness has for a long time been rather overlooked in our sport, as pilots adopted the prone style for reduced drag. However we think the supine harness is long due for a comeback, as it is much more comfortable, offers much better visibility all around, and the increased pendulum moment makes flying less tiring on your arms.

Our supine setup uses a custom control frame and speed bar that lets you clip in with any standard paragliding harness, with your hands falling naturally onto the speedbar just where you want it.

Easy to live with

Rigging and De-Rigging

The Fly will of course rig flat, which is vital for windy hill flying conditions such as those found in the British Isles. However the Fly is easier to rig and especially so when on the keel. Its new control frame fittings prevent the glider flopping from side to side

Short Packing

Those of you who travel by plane, with your hang glider, will know how important it is for the baggage handlers to have packages under 12 feet in length. Amazingly both sizes of the Fly can short pack under 12 feet. A standard Fly 17 short packs slightly longer than 12 feet unless a super short pack option is
chosen.

Greater Range of Pilot Weights

The Fly is available in two sizes the 15m and 17m. The Fly 15 is suitable for the medium to light pilot. Medium pilots who want to use FLPA power might want to consider the larger Fly 17 though the 15m is certified for payloads up to 120kg

Safety

Avian Ltd. are committed to the BHPA airworthiness scheme and its pitch stability and physical strength tests. Avian are also committed to continuous safety improvement throughout the glider. It is for this reason that the Rio 2 now has both ‘luff lines and washout control. These are two, well tested, means of ensuring good pitch stability at all speeds and VG settings

Glider

Fly 17 (Imperial)

Fly 17 (Metric)

Wing span (VG on)

33ft 1 1/2inch

10.1m

Wing area

180ft2

17m2

% Double surface

30%

Aspect ratio

5.9:1

Normal packed length

19ft 11inch

6.08m

Short pack length

12ft 0inch

3.6m

Glider weight rigged

57lb

26kg

Glider weight in bag + packing

60.6lb

27.5kg

Maximum clip in weight

280lb

127kg

Minimum clip in weight

203lb

92kg

Maximum clip in weight with power unit

309lb

140kg

Min sink rate*

200ft/min

1m/s

Max L/D ratio

10

Speed range**

18-40mph

29-64 km/h

Max speed (VNE)

50mph

80km/h

* At a wing loading of 6.9kg/m2 (1.4lbs/ft2)
** Speeds measured using upright mounted vario-ASI system not calibrated.

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